FL Survival / A Survival Community
Survivalist's Resources & Preparedness => The Mess Hall => : The Expendable September 07, 2014, 02:07:38 PM
-
I had some tests of different expired food from my stockpiles on here, but I can't find them now, So I'm just starting a new thread. A little background... When I started stockpiling, I bought mostly canned food. I found it to be cheap and easy to find. Besides, I had read in a couple of places that canned food doesn't really expire when the date on the can says so. Some canned food has been found to be safe to eat many, many years later. Of course, that doesn't mean that it's always appetizing, just that it won't kill you. Still, my philosophy of prepping is that you should first build up your stockpile using canned food from the grocery store to build up six months or so of food, then shift to freeze-dried long term storage.
I have been testing out-of-date foods for a while. Some of them survive well past the expiration date, others, not so much. Every thing I have stored is in an air-conditioned storage room in my garage, with the a/c set at about 78 degrees. Here are the latest things I have tested:
Fat Free Long Shelf Life Milk: Expiration Date, December 2013. Test Date, September 2014. Smelled OK, but had large clumps in it. Probably safe, but very unappetizing. I wouldn't trust it.
Ketchup: Expiration Date, June 2013. Test Date, August 2014. Color had changed to a dark red. Smelled and tasted OK. City Girl wouldn't eat it because it looked bad. I ate it and it seemed fine.
Ragu Spaghetti Sauce: Expiration Date, April 2010. Test Date, July 2014. Color had changed to a very dark red. Smelled OK. City Girl refused to eat it. She said it needed to be thrown away, even though it smelled fine.
Albacore Tuna in Water: Expiration Date, April 2013. Test Date, August 2014. Looked and tasted fine. No problems.
My tests are not scientific, but may give you an indication of what items do not store well. Dairy and tomato products seem to not hold up that well past the expiration dates. Meats seem to do better.
-
Thanks for the info. I need to do the same thing.
-
Thanks for the info. I have been wondering the same thing about certain products. My family and I have forgone processed foods for several years. I have been canning, dehydrating and buying fresh since. It has been for personal everyday use, but I have been trying to have a more organized approach to use what I already preserve for long term storage. I recently discovered the method for using Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, but there are some commercially packed ingredients such as canned tuna that I was wondering how long it would last.
-
Last week I made a pie using cherry pie filling that expired in July, 2011. It was as good as new. No loss of flavor or texture.
This morning was pancake Sunday, so I opened up some Aunt Jemima syrup that expired in January, 2011. It also was as good as new. Still sticky and sweet. :)
-
Today I had Dinty Moore beef stew for lunch. It expired in April, 2012. It was as good as new.
BTW, Dinty Moore is my go-to prep food for the apocalypse. Good thing it stores well beyond its expiration date. :)
-
When you say dinty Moore is as good as new, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. :D How could anyone ever tell if it went bad?
Just kidding, I've been eating it since my boy scout days.
Last year (2013) I opened a large tray of mre style rib like meat. Enough to feed a group of ten people. It expired in 2012. Oh boy was that disgusting. Based on the flavor of the sauce, I don't know if it was ever edible. Unfortunately I still have 3 more trays of it. I'll save it for food to give away to the needed when SHTF.
-
When you say dinty Moore is as good as new, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. :D How could anyone ever tell if it went bad?
Just kidding, I've been eating it since my boy scout days.
Last year (2013) I opened a large tray of mre style rib like meat. Enough to feed a group of ten people. It expired in 2012. Oh boy was that disgusting. Based on the flavor of the sauce, I don't know if it was ever edible. Unfortunately I still have 3 more trays of it. I'll save it for food to give away to the needed when SHTF.
Ha! I've always liked Dinty Moore, but then again, I don't have a refined pallette. I have the same idea about disgusting food. I'm saving it for my brother-in-law. He always claims to be on board with prepping, but has never stocked up on any food. Instead, he buys toys. Well, I hope he likes out-of-date Vienna sausages, because that's what he's getting.
-
When you say dinty Moore is as good as new, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. :D How could anyone ever tell if it went bad?
Just kidding, I've been eating it since my boy scout days.
Last year (2013) I opened a large tray of mre style rib like meat. Enough to feed a group of ten people. It expired in 2012. Oh boy was that disgusting. Based on the flavor of the sauce, I don't know if it was ever edible. Unfortunately I still have 3 more trays of it. I'll save it for food to give away to the needed when SHTF.
dude...mcrib tray packs rule ....least you dont have three trays of eggs :-\
most nre's arent that great..ive eatin ones from the 90's that rocked...and some that were only 1 year old that sucked. imho the "steaks"/beef etc all take on a funny taste . i ate a steak with shroom gravy..was good but it had that mcdondalds steak bagel taste..uggh..
ate 8 yr old hormel tamales once- no issues.
most stuff we rotate out or keep is 1-3 years past the "best buy" or exp. date.
it dont hiss,,squirt,,stink or fizz when ya openit is normally g2g.
-
When you say dinty Moore is as good as new, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. :D How could anyone ever tell if it went bad?
Just kidding, I've been eating it since my boy scout days.
Last year (2013) I opened a large tray of mre style rib like meat. Enough to feed a group of ten people. It expired in 2012. Oh boy was that disgusting. Based on the flavor of the sauce, I don't know if it was ever edible. Unfortunately I still have 3 more trays of it. I'll save it for food to give away to the needed when SHTF.
dude...mcrib tray packs rule ....least you dont have three trays of eggs :-\
most nre's arent that great..ive eatin ones from the 90's that rocked...and some that were only 1 year old that sucked. imho the "steaks"/beef etc all take on a funny taste . i ate a steak with shroom gravy..was good but it had that mcdondalds steak bagel taste..uggh..
ate 8 yr old hormel tamales once- no issues.
most stuff we rotate out or keep is 1-3 years past the "best buy" or exp. date.
it dont hiss,,squirt,,stink or fizz when ya openit is normally g2g.
When I was about 14, I had a t-shirt that said, "If it Smells Good, Eat it." I never really understood what that meant until now...
-
Today, you would get expelled from school for wearing it.......
-
Best by 2011 chipolte sardines are swimming in my belly.....well see what happens :P
-
Best by 2011 chipolte sardines are swimming in my belly.....well see what happens :P
I'm assuming they swam all the way downstream without any problem. ;)
-
This morning I made biscuits and opened a can of Spam to fry. The "best by" date was May, 2012. It looked as good as new. It smelled and tasted perfect.
-
Last night I cooked up a steak that wasn't very flavorful, so I grabbed a bottle of A-1 out of the cabinet. Opened it up and was hit by a really bad smell. The best by date was Feb. 2014. A-1 does not seem to age well.
-
i still got a bunch of soup progresso exp date of 2012 n 2013 still holding up well.. the only one i had any reservations about was the clam chowder 2013.... it didn't smell off at least my wife didn't think so but i was just afraid because of the cream base.. I'm lactose anyways so that adds to my apprehension...
Iv used dry pasta exp date 2012 no problems..
the one thing i have that I'm still testing is a case of MRE's that i bought in 1999 brand Mil-Spec all the sides are still smelling very fresh as are the crackers n spreads.. only thing is they taste a bit stale but very eatable.... I'm saving the entrees for emergence dog food...
-
Last night I cooked up a steak that wasn't very flavorful, so I grabbed a bottle of A-1 out of the cabinet. Opened it up and was hit by a really bad smell. The best by date was Feb. 2014. A-1 does not seem to age well.
That's weird. I've had older hot sauce than that and it was fine. Had it been opened previously or stored in the heat?
-
i still got a bunch of soup progresso exp date of 2012 n 2013 still holding up well.. the only one i had any reservations about was the clam chowder 2013.... it didn't smell off at least my wife didn't think so but i was just afraid because of the cream base.. I'm lactose anyways so that adds to my apprehension...
Iv used dry pasta exp date 2012 no problems..
the one thing i have that I'm still testing is a case of MRE's that i bought in 1999 brand Mil-Spec all the sides are still smelling very fresh as are the crackers n spreads.. only thing is they taste a bit stale but very eatable.... I'm saving the entrees for emergence dog food...
You're making your dogs be the guinea pigs? :P
-
hey EX..... i figured he dog has a better/stronger stomach than i do so im keeping it for a couple of years more... BUT i also keep tabs on the rest of the stuff so i figure it should be ok... besides its just for the dogs BOB as a mixer along with the dry stuff i have... so it aint/should'nt that bad.... besides she like to be the food guinee pig... ^-^ ^-^ ^-^
-
The battle hounds were out of their favorite dog food last night, so they had stockpiled potted meat and Vienna sausage. Really. Oh, and I didn't buy that stuff. My mom did for her stockpile, but later decided she didn't want it. It's come in handy a couple of times. The battle hounds love it as a special treat.
-
Tonight I made chicken and rice using some chicken I canned in April 2013. I know that technically it is not expired food, but just to report, the chicken was fine.
-
Last night I cooked up a steak that wasn't very flavorful, so I grabbed a bottle of A-1 out of the cabinet. Opened it up and was hit by a really bad smell. The best by date was Feb. 2014. A-1 does not seem to age well.
That's weird. I've had older hot sauce than that and it was fine. Had it been opened previously or stored in the heat?
It was a brand new bottle that I bought when Publix had a BOGO on them. I have hot sauces that are several years passed date that are perfectly fine.
-
i have the same thing with my hot sauces... Melindas seem to hold up very well i have several that are 2011 and i opened up one last month and its doing very well even after opening and not refridgerting....
-
Here's another update: Earlier tonight, City Girl was in the mood for some clam chowder. I went to my stockpiles to grab one. It was the Campbell's Chunky New England style, which is cream-based as opposed to Manhattan style, which is tomato-based. It was about 2 1/2 years out of date code. Expiration date was June, 2012. She opened it upand it smelled fine, but it had somewhat solidified. It had the consistency of a can of cranberry sauce, the kind that you can slice with a butter knife. She a good sport though, and she dumped it into a pot and heated it up. She added some milk to it, and it was fine.
I'm finding that what I have always read about out-of-date cans is true... it is probably safe to eat, but it might not be appetizing.
-
It may be surprising what you will eat when Publix is empty..
-
Ex was it the pull top or the sealed can.. i got rid of a couple of cans of progresso new england style clam chowder because of the cream base issue.. basically I'm really lactose so I'm afraid to try it even smell it... but the wife love the stuff.. so I'm wondering about the sealing process...
-
Ex was it the pull top or the sealed can.. i got rid of a couple of cans of progresso new england style clam chowder because of the cream base issue.. basically I'm really lactose so I'm afraid to try it even smell it... but the wife love the stuff.. so I'm wondering about the sealing process...
It was the pull top. Not the flexible foil type of top, but the all-steel pull top. I had not even considered that it might make a difference, but that's something to look into.
-
It may be surprising what you will eat when Publix is empty..
And guess what my non-prepping brother-in-law (who claims to be on board with the concept of prepping, but spends all his money on toys and golf) is going to be getting from me when the S hits the F? Hope he likes Campbell's "extra" chunky. ^-^
-
Here's another installment of "Adventure's in Prepping: Eating Expired Stockpiles", brought to you by your old buddy Expendable. I tested three more expired foods last week, one of them you've seen before, the other two are newcomers. All of them were stored on a shelf in my "dungeon", which is an air conditioned storage room I built in my garage. Up first, the old standby, Spam.
This was Spam Lite with an expiration date of June, 2012. Almost three years out of date code and it was as good as new. Taste and texture were both perfect.
Second up is a jar of Silver Floss sauerkraut. This had an expiration date of February, 2011. This one was tested by City Girl. It was over four years out of date code. She reported that the taste was fine, and the texture was good, but the coloring was a little dark. Still perfectly edible.
The third item is a can of Senora Verde Beef Tamales. The expiration date was June, 2013. Almost two years out of date code, the texture of these was fine, and the taste was as good as new, which isn't really that great to begin with. Honestly, these are a filler item, not something I would want to have to survive off of. Look at the third picture... yeah, they're supposed to look like that. But, they were cheap and they held up well, so they get the Expendable Seal of Approval.
-
Adding to Ex's list here..
On 4-15-15i opened a #10 size can of green Giants corn purchased at Sams with an exper date of 8-14 purchased in june of 13 to my suprise i noticed a metalic smell when i was opening the can i though it was maybe just the interior of the can.. my wife noticed the smell too so she tried to season the smell out while cooking it.... end result was weird metalic taste, kerrnals were juicy, n popped when bitten into and didnt taste stale but the metalic smell caused the corn to have a bitter metallic taste bad enough to make it unpalettable.. this is the 1st issue iv had with green giant products out of date...
Also last week i got into my GHB grub rotation and ate to cliff bars that were 2 years old out of date on 9-14.. altho they were a little crushed but the flavor and taste was still top notch...
-
Adding to Ex's list here..
On 4-15-15i opened a #10 size can of green Giants corn purchased at Sams with an exper date of 8-14 purchased in june of 13 to my suprise i noticed a metalic smell when i was opening the can i though it was maybe just the interior of the can.. my wife noticed the smell too so she tried to season the smell out while cooking it.... end result was weird metalic taste, kerrnals were juicy, n popped when bitten into and didnt taste stale but the metalic smell caused the corn to have a bitter metallic taste bad enough to make it unpalettable.. this is the 1st issue iv had with green giant products out of date...
Also last week i got into my GHB grub rotation and ate to cliff bars that were 2 years old out of date on 9-14.. altho they were a little crushed but the flavor and taste was still top notch...
That's weird about the corn. At less than a year out of date, I wouldn't think there would be any strange taste or smell. Maybe it was a bad can?
-
I would be curious to read ingredients on products as well as, taste and constancy... Ill have to go through what I have as well.
-
Adding to Ex's list here..
On 4-15-15i opened a #10 size can of green Giants corn purchased at Sams with an exper date of 8-14 purchased in june of 13 to my suprise i noticed a metalic smell when i was opening the can i though it was maybe just the interior of the can.. my wife noticed the smell too so she tried to season the smell out while cooking it.... end result was weird metalic taste, kerrnals were juicy, n popped when bitten into and didnt taste stale but the metalic smell caused the corn to have a bitter metallic taste bad enough to make it unpalettable.. this is the 1st issue iv had with green giant products out of date...
Also last week i got into my GHB grub rotation and ate to cliff bars that were 2 years old out of date on 9-14.. altho they were a little crushed but the flavor and taste was still top notch...
That's weird about the corn. At less than a year out of date, I wouldn't think there would be any strange taste or smell. Maybe it was a bad can?
yep im thinking the same thing.. iv had green beans from the same place and maker with no issues a year plus out of date... so i think it was just bad luck.. but on that note it'll be something to think about when opening up older cans... i think its the liner that affects the storage of the vegies... some use tin and other interior metals....
-
Just had some Chef Boy Ar D Mini O's that were dated Feb 2014
Edible, but had a kind of irony taste to them. Definitely not normal.
Ate the whole can... Well see how it goes tomorrow etc..... Yeah its Pasta I know...
-
Just had some Chef Boy Ar D Mini O's that were dated Feb 2014
Edible, but had a kind of irony taste to them. Definitely not normal.
Ate the whole can... Well see how it goes tomorrow etc..... Yeah its Pasta I know...
You mean ironic? ;D
-
Just had some Chef Boy Ar D Mini O's that were dated Feb 2014
Edible, but had a kind of irony taste to them. Definitely not normal.
Ate the whole can... Well see how it goes tomorrow etc..... Yeah its Pasta I know...
You mean ironic? ;D
touche sir ;D
-
Potted meat with the pull ring tops worry me a little. I'm not sure how long home canned stuff lasts but I did just bust open some chicken breasts I canned back in 2012. Made chicken salad sandwiches and they tasted like canned chicken from the store. I have one can of bacon left that I want to try and I'm sure that will be good as well. Got to get back on my canning.
-
Potted meat with the pull ring tops worry me a little. I'm not sure how long home canned stuff lasts but I did just bust open some chicken breasts I canned back in 2012. Made chicken salad sandwiches and they tasted like canned chicken from the store. I have one can of bacon left that I want to try and I'm sure that will be good as well. Got to get back on my canning.
i do recall the pull top cans of food have more hazards and less shelf life than standard cans... im not sure if its true but i try to stay away from those cans but when i cant i just stay with the date posted..
-
They are probably just as safe but I'm sighting my worries due to I've seen them pop by themselves before they expire. Might have been where I was storing them but I have eliminated pull ring cans from store bought things I put back.
-
Yeah I'll second what Swamp said. If I pick up pull rings it is something I plan on using soon.
If I remember correctly the likely cause of the mini Os' having a metal taste is the tomato sauce. Acidic foods start eating at the liner. I think. Any info on this??
-
Here's another installment of "Testing Expired Stockpiles". After my failures last week (http://www.flsurvival.com/index.php?topic=11950.0;topicseen (http://www.flsurvival.com/index.php?topic=11950.0;topicseen)), it's good to report a couple of successes. These have both been stored on a shelf in my "dungeon", which is air conditioned. I'll start off with my go-to canned apocalypse food, Dinty Moore Beef Stew:
I love this stuff. It might not be "haute cuisine", but it fills you up. It also has a good shelf life. Good thing, because I gotta ton of this stuff!
Expiration date: April, 2012
Opened: August, 2015
Results: Good texture, good flavor. As good as new.
Next up is Hormel Roast Beef and Gravy. I purchased this at Walmart a while ago, and had it for dinner tonight. The white blobs in the picture are mashed potatoes.
Expiration date: February, 2013
Opened: August, 2015
Results: Good texture, good flavor. Delicious!
That's it for tonight.
-
Today I was in my dungeon tossing out the swollen cans of pears, and I noticed that none of the cans of peaches from the same time were swollen. I brought one inside to test it. Here are the results:
First, the pears. I know I posted these pics in another thread, but I figured I would also put them here so all my tests are together. I bought the peaches and pears together back in 2009. They have been stored in my dungeon, which is actually an air conditioned storage room I built in my garage. The fruit all had an expiration date in 2011. Almost every can of pears was swollen, and some had begun leaking. We opened one of the non-swollen cans and City Girl tasted it. She said it didn't taste "bad", but it did taste a little "off". We tossed it and all of the expired pears, a total of about a dozen large cans.
The peaches also expired in 2011. None of those cans was swollen, although I threw three away because the leaking cans of pears had made them sticky and I didn't want to deal with it. We brought one of the clean cans inside to test it. The taste was good, although the texture was a little soft. It was not unappetizing at all. We ended up using the can in a dump cake recipe for tonight.
Here are the pics:
Note the swollen cans. The cans on the shelf had swollen too, to the point of causing some of the cans to fall off the shelf.
Expiration date: September, 2011
Opened: August, 2015
Results: BAD!!! Do not store canned pears this far past the expiration date!
The peaches did much better than the pears. I have no idea why this would be the case.
Expiration date: August, 2011
Opened: August, 2015
Results: Good flavor, good appearance, texture somewhat softer than usual, but not mushy.
-
Yesterday we ran out of cat food. Grr. So I figured it was time for another taste test of expired stockpiles. Tuna fish. What cat doesn't love tuna, right? He didn't get the name brand stuff, but he wasn't complaining. It was still albacore tuna! The cat didn't get all of it. I let the battle hounds each try a taste, then I tried it too. It was delicious! Albacore tuna. Freakin' cat!
Expiration date: April, 2014
Opened: August, 2015
Results: Good texture, good flavor. As good as new.
-
I'm curious how much if th fruit has high fructose corn syrup vs not.
-
I'm curious how much if th fruit has high fructose corn syrup vs not.
That's an interesting question. The ingredients in the peaches are: "peaches, water, corn syrup, sugar". That's just regular corn syrup, not HFCS. I can't say for sure about the pears, since I have thrown them all out. I'll try and remember to check the label when I go to the store later on today.
-
iv had great luck with my dinty more and hormel food meals n soups...
-
I'm curious how much if th fruit has high fructose corn syrup vs not.
That's an interesting question. The ingredients in the peaches are: "peaches, water, corn syrup, sugar". That's just regular corn syrup, not HFCS. I can't say for sure about the pears, since I have thrown them all out. I'll try and remember to check the label when I go to the store later on today.
Sentry, I looked in the store, and the pears and peaches both have HFCS. That must be new within the past six years since I bought the original fruit. All I know is the peaches I have do not have it.
-
Here's another installment of "Testing Expired Stockpiles". Since I haven't died of food poisoning in all my testing, I'll take it as a good sign. This time I tested canola oil and beef gravy. As always, these items have been stored on a shelf in my "dungeon", an air conditioned storage room in my garage.
First, the gravy:
This is Heinz Home Style Beef Gravy. The expiration date is a little hard to read, but it expired in December 2011. That's almost SIX YEARS past it's expiration date. The texture was OK and the taste was good, but a little salty. Honestly, I think that's how it's supposed to be.
Expiration date: December, 2011
Opened: September, 2015
Results: Good consistency, good flavor.
Next, the oil:
I've heard stories about oil going bad and becoming rancid, but honestly I have never had that problem. That's the case this time too. The expiration date was June 2012, but it smelled good and had good color. I didn't taste the oil directly, but I used it to fry some fish for dinner last night. The fish was excellent. I still have some of the oil left, and it went into my inside pantry.
Expiration date: June, 2012
Opened: September, 2015
Results: Good consistency, good color. As good as new.
-
Based on this thread, I have been going deep in the pantry. Last week I opened a number 10 can of green beans from Sam's Club. They expired in 2013, but were the same as if new. I froze what we did not cook, so now I'll have a second test, eating expired canned beans that then were frozen for unknown time.
Last night I opened, sliced and pan fried a can of Spam that expired in March 2014, so only 17 months past expiration. Again, no issues at all. it tasted like fried spam.
-
Now how to test nutrition levels. One would have to eat all expired for a week or more to see how run down you feel as the effect.
-
Yeah, unfortunately all we can test is texture and flavor.
-
I have some of that gravy expired last Dec sitting in a "ditch" box. Have you tried mixing it with anything?
You have me double thinking I should keep it. A dozen jars of it too.
-
I have some of that gravy expired last Dec sitting in a "ditch" box. Have you tried mixing it with anything?
You have me double thinking I should keep it. A dozen jars of it too.
I say keep it. When the nosey neighbor you KNOW will come begging when shtf, peel the date off and give it to them.
-
I have some of that gravy expired last Dec sitting in a "ditch" box. Have you tried mixing it with anything?
You have me double thinking I should keep it. A dozen jars of it too.
I have so much stuff that's expired. I can't bring myself to just trash it. That's why I test it like this, to see what's still usable. If your gravy just expired less than a year ago, I'm sure it's fine... assuming it hasn't been stored in the trunk of your car or anything. I'd test one before ditching it.
-
I have some of that gravy expired last Dec sitting in a "ditch" box. Have you tried mixing it with anything?
You have me double thinking I should keep it. A dozen jars of it too.
I have so much stuff that's expired. I can't bring myself to just trash it. That's why I test it like this, to see what's still usable. If your gravy just expired less than a year ago, I'm sure it's fine... assuming it hasn't been stored in the trunk of your car or anything. I'd test one before ditching it.
Yeah, I think I'm gonna do that this weekend... I have three very daring boys; testing time boys.... LMAO
-
Fredo, make sure you try it too. Don't go just by what the kiddos say... kids hate everything... except Pizza Rolls and crap likethat. ^-^
Myakka, that why I keep old Vienna sausages... to give to my brother-in-law when he comes knocking.
-
Oh yeah, I was just making a funny that I would make the kids try it first... We would do it together...
-
Mr. Expendable, your like a walking book of shit hit the fan knowledge. I have read a lot here, and many of your posts are just crazy informative on things to think about. i don't have this problem of expired food, but it is a cool post to read by you and all. TY
-
Mr. Expendable, your like a walking book of shit hit the fan knowledge. I have read a lot here, and many of your posts are just crazy informative on things to think about. i don't have this problem of expired food, but it is a cool post to read by you and all. TY
Thanks. There is another aspect of all of this... in the event of a total collapse, we may be scrounging for our survival. It would nice to know that stockpiles of food you stumble upon are still safe to eat, even though they are expired.
-
OK, here it is... the big test. Back when I first started prepping I bought three packs of chorizo sausages. I figured they would last a long time since they didn't need refrigeration and they were made with lots of vinegar and salt. I vacuum packed them in a Mylar bag with oxygen absorbers. They had an expiration date of February, 2010. They've been stored all these years on a shelf in my "dungeon", and air-conditioned storage room I built in my garage. Today was the day I decided to open them up to test them.
First thing to notice: The seal on my home sealed Mylar bags has not leaked at all. The package was still hard as a rock. I cut it open with scissors and got a "whoosh" of air.
The individual packages were still vacuum sealed from the factory. I cut one of them open. The smell was still good. Next, I opened one of the packages and cut one of the sausages into slices. The color was a little darker than I remember chorizos to be, but otherwise they looked fine and smelled fine. Now the big test: taste. I put one of the slices in my mouth. I have to admit, I was a little nervous, but it tasted fine. The texture was a little dry, and the flavor was a little salty, but honestly, I think that is how chorizo is supposed to be. Later on, when I make dinner, I am going to make some bean soup and add the sliced up chorizo as an ingredient. I think it will be OK, based on my preliminary test. The bottom line on the chorizos was that they smelled good and tasted OK, but because they were almost six years out of date code, I was a little nervous. If I don't get sick later, I'll feel better about giving them my full seal of approval. For now I think they are fine.
Expiration date: February, 2010
Opened: October, 2015
Results: Fair consistency, but a bit dry. Dark color. Good smell. Decent flavor.
*edit* - Chorizo sausage has a flavor not unlike Slim Jim, except more of a vinegary flavor. Not sure if it's something that I would want to eat as a meal in the PAW, but it could be good as an ingredient in other meals. That's what I'm trying in my bean soup tonight.
-
Mr. Expendable, your like a walking book of shit hit the fan knowledge. I have read a lot here, and many of your posts are just crazy informative on things to think about. i don't have this problem of expired food, but it is a cool post to read by you and all. TY
Thanks. There is another aspect of all of this... in the event of a total collapse, we may be scrounging for our survival. It would nice to know that stockpiles of food you stumble upon are still safe to eat, even though they are expired.
that is a very good point, i never thought of that.
-
I was at Publix this afternoon and bought some new chorizo sausages. Since I tested that old expired chorizo, I wanted to see what it's supposed to taste like. What a difference! No vinegar taste at all! When I checked the ingredients, chorizo is made with white wine. And what happens to wine when it gets old? That's right, it turns to vinegar! That explains why my expired sausages tasted like vinegar.
Anyway, bottom line is that the chorizo was a failed experiment! The last unopened package of expired chorizo is going in the garbage now.
-
I am not being a smartbutt, but don't you think you should know the flavor profile of an item before testing some old out of date samples? LOL.....
Next let me help you with steak, and lobster. You serve some now to us both, then put some up for a while.....
-
I am not being a smartbutt, but don't you think you should know the flavor profile of an item before testing some old out of date samples? LOL.....
Next let me help you with steak, and lobster. You serve some now to us both, then put some up for a while.....
You are absolutely correct. I should have known what it tastes like before testing it. However, when I bought it back in 2009, Ihad never had chorizo. I bought it because I figured it was a meat that needed no refrigeration and would last a long time. That was before I learned that I should only store what I eat. What can I say? I was a newbie!
-
I like chorizo in my paella, and I also like to make chorizo and eggs for breakfast tacos now and then........
-
I keep that instant just add water pizza dough for an easy bread source (read it somewhere).
Found two packages in the pantry that expired in 2012 (4 years ago).
I mixed it up, smelled kind of "old"
Made a pizza. wow, that sucked. was not edible. well maybe if I was dying of starvation, maybe.
My pizza-holic son would not eat it either. we ended up pulling off the pepperoni and throwing the crust away.
So..... I don't know when it turns, but 4 years it too long for pizza mix.
-
I wonder if flour does that or if it was maybe one of the ingredients that are added...
-
City Girl ran out of tea the other day, so instead of running up to the store, I figured it was a good time to test some expired stockpiles. I had a one gallon paint can full of English breakfast tea, sealed along with oxygen absorbers. I made her a cup but didn't tell her they were packed in 2009 until after she tasted it. She said it tasted fine, as good as new.
-
Today I was in my dungeon tossing out the swollen cans of pears, and I noticed that none of the cans of peaches from the same time were swollen. I brought one inside to test it. Here are the results:
First, the pears. I know I posted these pics in another thread, but I figured I would also put them here so all my tests are together. I bought the peaches and pears together back in 2009. They have been stored in my dungeon, which is actually an air conditioned storage room I built in my garage. The fruit all had an expiration date in 2011. Almost every can of pears was swollen, and some had begun leaking. We opened one of the non-swollen cans and City Girl tasted it. She said it didn't taste "bad", but it did taste a little "off". We tossed it and all of the expired pears, a total of about a dozen large cans.
The peaches also expired in 2011. None of those cans was swollen, although I threw three away because the leaking cans of pears had made them sticky and I didn't want to deal with it. We brought one of the clean cans inside to test it. The taste was good, although the texture was a little soft. It was not unappetizing at all. We ended up using the can in a dump cake recipe for tonight.
Here are the pics:
Note the swollen cans. The cans on the shelf had swollen too, to the point of causing some of the cans to fall off the shelf.
Expiration date: September, 2011
Opened: August, 2015
Results: BAD!!! Do not store canned pears this far past the expiration date!
The peaches did much better than the pears. I have no idea why this would be the case.
Expiration date: August, 2011
Opened: August, 2015
Results: Good flavor, good appearance, texture somewhat softer than usual, but not mushy.
UPDATE: As of a couple of months ago, the peach cans also started to bulge. So the bottom line I guess is that canned fruit will last a couple of years beyond its expiration date, but be careful storing it any longer than that.
-
I thought that these tests was merely a "live or die" thing...You mean taste is part of it? Damn... now Ive gotta start over....
-
I thought that these tests was merely a "live or die" thing...You mean taste is part of it? Damn... now Ive gotta start over....
Well, if taste were the only factor, I wouldn't care. I'd keep all my old disgusting expired food to give to my brother-in-law when the S hits the F. But these peaches and pears... yeah... they were kind of a "live or die" thing. Now that I think about it, my brother-in-law might still get them...
-
This week I started cleaning out my stockpiled canned food, a little at a time. In the past five days I have had:
Dinty Moore Beef Stew that expired in 2012. Good flavor and texture. As good as new.
Le Sueur Peas that expired in 2012. Also good flavor and texture. As good as new.
Home-canned pork sirloin that was canned in 2011. The seal was still good, and it smelled fine when I opened it, so I tried it. It was good. I still have about eight quarts of that to go through.
-
... Peas ... good flavor ...
Isn't that a contradiction?? uuuj
-
... Peas ... good flavor ...
Isn't that a contradiction?? uuuj
my parents always told me to eat my peas because they were like ball-bearings in my knees and would make me run faster.........it didnt work, neither running faster or getting me to eat them!!
-
Hey, I like peas, but only the Le Sueur peas. Then again, I like Spam, so maybe I'm not the best person to talk about taste...
-
Here are a couple more out-of-date items I have tested this past week:
Hormel Turkey Chili. Expiration date: June, 2012 Stored on a shelf in an air conditioned room.
The taste and the texture was fine. I ate this poured over cornbread, and it made a filling meal. It's not really my favorite thing to eat, but I wouldn't throw it out either.
-
Next up is Chef Boyardee Big Beef Ravioli. I know I've reviewed this in the past, but I will keep on giving reviews as I go through my stockpiles. I figure it's good to keep updated on the storability of this item. After all, it's a staple of preppervivalists (©2009, The Expendable) everywhere. Heck, I've probably still got a hundred cans of this stuff in my dungeon. It's nice to know that it's holding up, even being three or four years past it's expiration date. The bottom line is if you, like most preppers, have a cache of Chef Boyardee products that are expired, don't throw them out! They're probably still fine.
Chef Boyardee Big Beef Ravioli. Expiration date: June, 2013 Stored on a shelf in an air conditioned room.
The taste and the texture was as good as new. Chef Boyardee is not exactly haute cuisine, but it's a decent, filling meal. It holds up well, as long as it's stored properly.
-
Been just silently watching this thread. Thank you for sharing this. I suspect most of us have some out of date stuff we wonder about...
-
Been just silently watching this thread. Thank you for sharing this. I suspect most of us have some out of date stuff we wonder about...
I'm eating the crap, so you don't have to! :)
-
During my long hiatus, I was still doing my testing. Here's a recent one:
Chef Boyardee Overstuffed Sausage Ravioli Expiration date: June, 2013 Stored on a shelf in an air conditioned room.
Ironically, Chef Boyardee Ravioli that expired in June, 2013, was the last item I reviewed here. I tested that one in February, 2017. At that time it was holding up well, even being almost four years out of date.
The latest one was from the same batch. Even though it is now over seven years past its expiration date, it was still in good condition. The taste and the texture was still good. Chef Boyardee seems to be a ood long-term storage food with one caveat: A couple of weeks ago I tried some of their Cheesy Burger Macaroni that had expired in August, 2013. It looked ok, but I didn't care for the flavor. It didn't taste bad, but I just didn't like it. I'm not sure if I would have liked it even when it was new. I won't be storing that one again.
Here are the pics from the ravioli:
-
So, Ex, When you do these tests do u dial 91 on your phone so u can just hit the other 1 when you are falling to the floor?
Sorry, I appreciate the tests and the info.
-
So, Ex, When you do these tests do u dial 91 on your phone so u can just hit the other 1 when you are falling to the floor?
Sorry, I appreciate the tests and the info.
Surprisingly, so far I've been lucky. I haven't gotten sick... yet. I have had some bulging cans that have gone right in the trash. Even if I can't tell if they are even slightly go in the trash too. I try not to take unnecessary risks (said the man who just ate ten year old ravioli).
-
Here's one of my fails. My old favorite apocalypse food, Dinty Moore Beef Stew. I think these are starting to go bad. Most of them are fine, but a few of them are starting to puff up. When I bought these back in 2010, I got about half beef an half chicken and dumplings. I have not had any of the chicken go bad yet, only the beef. Not sure why. It's hard to see the slight bulge in the top of the can, but it's there.
Dinty Moore Beef Stew Expiration date: April, 2012 Stored on a shelf in an air conditioned room.
-
Am I crazy to do these tests? Yeah, probably. So far I've been lucky. Also, so far I've had to throw away a lot of my stockpiles. Things that are really discolored are probably fine to eat, but they're too disgusting for me. Ketchup and other tomato-based foods turn really dark. That doesn't appeal to me. Milk-based foods also turn dark, almost brown. Plus, I opened a can of evaporated milk one time and it was chunky! Nope, down the disposal it went!
To understand why I am the way I am, you have to know that I am the ultimate tightwad. I don't just hate wasting money (or food), but it goes against my very being. I have to get every pennies' worth out of everything I buy. It hurts me to throw anything away that might have some value still. I think it's a mental condition or something. I dunno.
Even with that condition, I still try to be safe. I know it sounds funny, what with me eating food that expired during Barack Obama's first term, but I really try not to take chances. When I pick up a can I really scrutinize it. If it looks even a little bit like it might have even a hint of expansion, I toss it without opening it. When I open a can I check for smell and appearance. If anything is a little off, out it goes.
I think the biggest lesson I have learned through all of these experiments is that it's extremely important to rotate your stocks. I really don't worry if something is a little bit out of date, but I need to be more conscientious and not let things go to waste. I need to keep up with it!
-
One more tonight. This was tonight's dinner... DAK Premium Ham. This was one of my first stockpile foods. I'm not sure why. I usually don't eat it. I just figured it would be a good thing to have on hand. So, yeah, I have a bunch of it. Lesson #2: Stockpile what you eat. From now on, I will!
ps: Yes, I know. It's a Christmas plate. I was feeling festive tonight. Sue me.
DAK Premium Ham Expiration date: March, 2015 Stored on a shelf in an air conditioned room.
Texture: good as new
Taste: good as new
-
In my opinion,store what you eat and rotate are not 2 seperate terms when it comes to canned food.
Can't do 1 without the other.
I'm no expert,if my house got sealed up,I might last 3-4 months,but I do what I can.
I've read about people having problems with the "pop top" cans more than the regular ones,the seal breaking.
What is your personal experience? O0
-
I haven't had any problems with the pop-top cans. I can't think of a time one of them broke open, even if the can had started to swell. Maybe if I let it continue swelling it could pop, but I throw the can out before that happens.
Back in the day when I first started on here, there were people who said you should stockpile more long-term foods (i.e. freeze-dried) rather than canned. I see the merit of that argument. It's more expensive up front, but it lasts a lot longer. If you're not rotating your stock regularly, you end up wasting a lot of money on waste. Ideally I'd have a mix, maybe 3 months worth of canned and the rest freeze-dried or buckets ( rice, beans, etc.). There's really just no good way to rotate through a year's worth of canned food unless you want to eat that stuff every day, and let's be real.
-
When we recently moved, the moving prep gave me a chance to go though canned foods and such.
Off all my cans, the only bad one I had was a delmonte green beans can about 2 years past date. Can was swelled. Being curious, I took it outside and opened it. Not as much smell as I expected, but the green beans were black and shriveled. no way I would have eaten them even without the can bulge.
The big issue I have found repeatedly is not keeping up with pouches of flour products, breads pizza dough, etc. They get rancid quickly after the expire date. Even ones that just smelled stale were unpalatable after being cooked.
I agree on the long term food storage. I just don't got through regular can foods / rice / beans fast enough. I did buy the fifo (first in first out) racks from shelf reliance. those are great, but pricey.
The bulk of my storage is number 10 cans with supposed 25 year life spans. Over the past years I watched for items on sale. Got some good prices on auguson farms through sams club one-person-one year packs in 12 one month buckets. Also got a lot of mountain house and the house brand from be prepared in Utah. Until this pandemic hit, they used to have great sales once a month. different products lie the meat collection, the veggie collection, the soups, etc. I built up a good supply over the years. Marked every box with received and an expire date as not all of it is 25 years, so was 10 or 20 years.
I know you know this, but for others that do not, with long term foods, always check the calorie count. Some brands provide 800-900 calories PER DAY with their supposed one year packages. The auguson farms was in the 2000 range. Hopefully if I ever need them, they will be a supplement to what I can catch or grown.
like others here, the pandemic, and the social unrest has gotten me to rethink what I have and need.
The attached picture was the first stuff I moved into my new climate controlled room in the garage (inspired by yours). The bottom of the stack is the one month buckets, then the boxes of number 10 cans and boxes of mountain house pouches (which have shorter shelf life)
-
... The big issue I have found repeatedly is not keeping up with pouches of flour products, breads pizza dough, etc. They get rancid quickly after the expire date. Even ones that just smelled stale were unpalatable after being cooked. ...
Flour is something that I haven't tested. I read a long time ago that white flour stores longer than whole wheat, but wheat grain stores better than processed flour. I didn't have a flour mill (still don't), so I stored white flour. I have a couple of 5-gallon buckets that I stored back in about 2011 or 2012. I first put the flour into large Mylar bags in the buckets, and threw in some oxygen absorbers. Then I vacuum-sealed the bags and sealed the buckets. I kind of worry that I may have wasted that money. More recently, in March of 2017, I put some 5-pound sacks of flour into 1-gallon Mylar bags and vacuum-sealed them. That's probably a better way to go. It would take me a looong time to go through a 5-gallon bucket of flour. The little 5-pound sacks are more manageable. Plus they're easier to share if I need to.
-
Would really like to see hoe the flour is.
Somewhere, yrs ago I was told flour would not last very long. I hope that is not true.
-
I've never packaged my own. I do have flour mixes (biscuits, pancakes) in the number 10 cans with an advertised 25 year life. So it can be done.
My problem was prepackaged products, pizza dough in particular. it was a just add water product. I had read on some forum, maybe this one, that pizza dough was a great prep for bread products. Based on my experience, I would disagree. the expire date is not that long, a year or so, then its trash.
-
Would really like to see hoe the flour is.
Somewhere, yrs ago I was told flour would not last very long. I hope that is not true.
Me too. One day soon I will test one of the 5-pound packs. I don't want to open one of the buckets just to test it. Maybe this weekend I'll make some bread, although this weekend is pretty booked. I'll do it soon though.
-
I've never packaged my own. I do have flour mixes (biscuits, pancakes) in the number 10 cans with an advertised 25 year life. So it can be done.
My problem was prepackaged products, pizza dough in particular. it was a just add water product. I had read on some forum, maybe this one, that pizza dough was a great prep for bread products. Based on my experience, I would disagree. the expire date is not that long, a year or so, then its trash.
As far as the baking mix products (Bisquick, etc.), I always heard that they would not store long because of the oils that they contain. Also I heard (I think on this forum) that self-rising products not only would not store, but they could be dangerous. Something about the leavening agents could make you sick if they are too old. I need to try and find that old post.
-
Tonight it's a twofer. I made an apocalypse meal! I made some jasmine rice (not from my stockpiles) with pork, and a side of Le Sueur peas.
First up, the pork. It's "Best Prices Signature Meats" pork. This was one of the first apocalypse foods I bought. I bought a case of 12 cans. I'm not 100% sure about the date code, but I *think* the 15826 means it expired in August, 2015. However, in the past couple of years I've been eating about one can every six months or so, just to keep tabs on it. It's really good, and I highly recommend the brand.
Best Prices Signature Meats pork Expiration date: ~August, 2015 Stored on a shelf in an air conditioned room.
Texture: good as new
Taste: good as new
Second up is Green Giant Le Sueur Peas. I've always liked Le Sueur peas. They're the only canned peas I eat. I used to sometimes just have a bowl of these, topped with butter and some black pepper, as a meal. So of course my stockpiles would have these! These expired longer ago than most of my apocalypse food, way back in 2012! But they're peas! What could go wrong?
Green Giant Le Sueur Peas Expiration date: July, 2012 Stored on a shelf in an air conditioned room.
Texture: maybe *slightly* soft, but not really noticeable
Taste: good as new
-
That is great. Thank you for being our tester,
-
I have a 12 pack of meats from that same company. Its a variety pack, and is probably as old as yours.
When it comes to canned meats, my fav is the case of yoders bacon in the camo cans!
This is good info on can codes, and there is a lot of variablilty by manufacturer:
https://www.foodreference.com/html/tcannedfoodshelflife.html
From the web site:
Below is a sampling of how some manufacturers code their products so consumers know when the product was packaged. If you have specific questions about a company's product, contact a customer service representative at the phone number listed.
Note: For month coding, if a number is used, numbers 1 through 9 represent January through September, and letters O for October, N for November and D for December. If letters are used, A=Jan. and L=Dec., unless otherwise noted.
Note: For year coding, 8=1998; 9=1999; 0=2000; 1=2001; 2=2002, etc.
Bush Brothers & Company (voice: 865/509-2361)
Four digits
Position 1: Month
Position 2 and 3: Day
Position 4: Year
• Example: 2061 (February 6, 2001)
Chiquita Processed Foods (voice: 800/872-1110)
Ten digits (only 6-8 are pertinent to consumers)
Position 6: Year (A=1999, B=2000, C=2001, etc.)
Position 7 and 8: Julian Date
• Example: A195 (July 14, 1999- July 14 is the 195th day of the year)
Del Monte Foods (voice: 800/543-3090)
First line, four digits
Position 1: Year
Position 2, 3 and 4: Julian Date
• Example: 9045 (February 14, 1999)
Faribault Foods
Consumers can send inquiries and product coding numbers via an online contact form, and a company representative will help them understand the coding. www.faribaultfoods.com
Furman Foods (voice: 877/877-6032)
Second line, first four digits
Position 1: Year
Position 2, 3 and 4: Julian Date
• Example: 9045 (February 14, 1999)
Hirzel Canning (voice: 800/837-1631)
First line, four digits
Position 1: Year
Position 2, 3 and 4: Julian Date
• Example: 0195 (July 14, 2000- July 14th is the 195th day of the year)
Hormel Foods Corporation (voice: 800/523-4635)
Five digits on the top line
Position 1-4: Information about plant and manufacturing
Position 5: Year
• Example: XXXX0 (2000)
Lakeside Foods (voice: 920/684-3356)
Second line, second through fifth digits
Position 2: Month (Jan=1, Sept.=9, Oct.=A, Nov.=B, Dec.=C)
Position 3 and 4: Date
Position 5: Year
• Example: 4A198 (October 19, 1998)
Maple Leaf Consumer Foods (voice: 800/268-3708)
Top of can, grouping of last four digits
Position 1: Year
Position 2,3, and 4: Julian Date
• Example: 9130 (May 9, 1999)
Mid-Atlantic Foods (voice: 410/957-4100)
Second through fourth digits
Position 2: Month (letter)
Position 3: Date (A=1, Z=26)
Position 4: Year
• Example: MDE0 (April 5, 2000)
Pillsbury/Green Giant and Progresso (voice: 800/998-9996)
Five digits
Position 1: Month (letter)
Position 2: Year
Position 3: Plant information
Position 4 and 5: Date
• Example: G8A08 (July 8, 1998)
Seneca Foods (voice: 315/926-6710)
Two digits on the first line
Position 1: Month (letter)
Position 2: Year
• Example: L1 (December 2001)
Stagg Chili (voice: 800/611-9778)
Second through sixth digits
Position 2 and 3: Month
Position 4 and 5: Day
Position 6: Year
• Example: S02050 (February 5, 2000)
-
This week's test is Progresso Chicken Corn Chowder with Bacon. I like soup OK, but I don't really eat it a lot. I have to be in the mood for it. I must have really been in the mood for it the other day, since it expired in 2013! But as part of my commitment to eat my way through my apocalypse food, I tested the soup.
Progresso Chicken Corn Chowder with Bacon Expiration date: November, 2013 Stored on a shelf in an air conditioned room.
Texture: Fair
Taste: Fair
The potatoes in the soup seemed a little... crunchy? That doesn't make sense, but that's the truth. The taste was good,but it had a slight hint of tinniness, I assume from being in the can for so long. Overall, it was not bad. I'd happily eat this soup in the apocalypse.
-
It really is helpful to get info like this. Thank you.
Just hope you keep it up and " stay with us".
-
Would you consider the chowder a cream based soup?
I store a lot of canned soup,but I don't have years worth.That being said,cream of mushroom,cream of chicken,cheese and brocolli,etc...always seem to degrade even in tempature controlled enviroment.
They seem to get a brown tinge/color,and a slightly "off"smell,I dunno.
On a side note,a long time ago,30+ years,we were on gov commodities,kinda a food pantry.Plain siver cans with black USDA printed on it,even the "gove cheese blocks" like velvetta.I gotta tell ya,the canned pork was DA BOMB,I mean it was great stuff,and you could do a lot with it.I would even offer to trade other items to get extra of it. O0
P.S...I hate peas
-
Would you consider the chowder a cream based soup?
I store a lot of canned soup,but I don't have years worth.That being said,cream of mushroom,cream of chicken,cheese and brocolli,etc...always seem to degrade even in tempature controlled enviroment.
They seem to get a brown tinge/color,and a slightly "off"smell,I dunno. ...
I thought it was cream-based. It has a creamy texture. I expected it to have turned. Like you, I haven't had good luck with any milk based products. They tend to turn dark brown and lumpy. I would definitely not let milk based products go too long past the expiration date.
This soup surprised me though. When I read the ingredients, there was a little cream in it, but it was waaaay down in the list of ingredients, so there wasn't much cream at all. The creaminess was mostly from the chicken broth and starch in it.